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The Raiders declined to match the Cowboys offer for Benson Mayowa, and the defensive end is now headed to Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys made a three-year, $8.25 million offer to restricted free-agent defensive end Benson Mayowa of the Raiders on Friday. The Raiders had until tomorrow to decide whether they would match that offer and retain Mayowa's services, but the Raiders declined to match the offer, Mayowa's agent tweeted earlier today:
It's official. Benson Mayowa @bensonmayowa10 is now a Cowboy! @dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/B7fbcXadUS
— Reign Sports (@SportsManagers) March 22, 2016
Mayowa played 12 games last season, recording 16 tackles, a sack, 18 other quarterback pressures and a forced fumble in 381 defensive snaps. The Raiders had hoped to retain Mayowa, as he provided solid depth in his two seasons in Oakland, but that wasn't to be.
According to Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas, Cowboys director of college and pro personnel Will McClay zeroed in on Mayowa early.
"He likes this guy," Stephen Jones said, "and he sits with the defensive line guys and we all talk about it. This is one we felt like makes sense for us."
In Dallas, Mayowa will once again be part of a pass rush committee, as Stephen Jones went on to explain.
"The guy plays hard. He’s got the movement that we look for in defensive linemen and we feel like he’s got some upside. Do we think we’re getting the next DeMarcus Ware? Probably not. But when you don’t have the guy, then you’ve got to do it by committee and hope you get the right players, playing the right way so that you get pressure."
The offer sheet Mayowa signed with the Cowboys, according to NFL Network, includes a $700,000 base salary and $3.3 million bonus in 2016, and base salaries of $2.5 million and $2.75 million the next two years. That's a good chunk of money for a player who was just a rotational guy in Oakland.
The Cowboys obviously like him as a rotational guy, but also believe the 6-4, 240-pound edge rusher has upside. And at 24 years of age, Mayowa is also still on the right side of the age curve. And there's also this:
Benson Mayowa has a SPARQ score of 125. Puts him in the 66th percentile for EDGE rushers.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 22, 2016
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